Stephanie Sammons
Time and Evolution
Self Released
A Fully Formed Debut Album From an Exceptional New Texan Singer-Songwriter.
The first day that I played this was one of those when I couldn’t decide what I wanted to listen to – at first I was skimming through the files for something Bluesy and possibly even noisy; and it was by randomly pressing ‘play’ that I stumbled on opening track Make Me Believe and I was smitten in under thirty seconds.
FYI Stephanie Sammons is the polar opposite of Bluesy and/or noisy …. as she’s a ‘certified financial planner’ by day and charming singer-songwriter by night!
That opening song took me off into a whole new universe from the one that I expected, although one inhabited by the likes of Nanci Griffith, Beth Neilsen Chapman and Mary Gauthier, of whom the latter two she cites as mentors.
The first thing that hit me was Stephanie’s voice … simple yet expressive and not without the strength and wisdom that only comes from a woman who has worked hard to succeed in life.
Second song Innocence Lost finds the singer looking back at events from her childhood and youth too that have stayed with her throughout life;
“I feel shame like I feel the wind,”
and I’m sure many who listen to her song will nod along in unison.
While the arrangements are very easy on the ear; much like the two mentors I mentioned earlier Sammons writes from the bottom of her heart and when you scratch the surface of Faithless, Mend and the final song on the record, Holding On To Jesus you will be caught in her trap and find yourself stunned and stung by her intricate musicality and the way she sings making them more profound on every play.
Especially on debut albums writers are advised to ‘write about what you know’ and Stephanie does just that of course; but that still didn’t prepare me for the powerful Lazarus which trundled along nicely the first few times I played the album, then one day I was in the car and had a Eureka! moment.
Man! Sammons took my breath away the way she tells a bittersweet story of small town hypocrisy that meant she had to hide her sexuality
“Maybe if I pray a little harder for the rain that’s gonna fall
Maybe if I wait for the seasons to change
These big things will be resolved,”
Billboard Sign follows a similar stony path, as she tells us of the challenges internal and external she endured while coming to terms with and accepting herself:starting with
“her mother claiming she’d yet to meet the right man;
a father who told her she was only welcome in his home if alone;
and the person she saw in the mirror each morning,
who sat in a pew each Sunday praying for salvation despite living like a saint.”
The production here, by Mary Bragg (who joins Sammons on Living and Dying) is really quite exceptional, especially for a debut record, as everything you hear has a place and nothing sounds even remotely out of kilter with Stephanie’s lead vocals and Bragg allows the singer the freedom to let the songs flow like a country stream.
It was only when I was thinking of what would be my Favourite Song that I began to worry about where to fit this album into my collection.
Why? Well there’s plenty of pedal-steel littered throughout, so that must make it a Country album – no? Well, not really – perhaps Americana, but the structure of most songs are from the modern Folk idiom I think; so I’ve decided to go back in time and label it simply under Singer-Songwriter … which is a very apt genre at the end of the day.
The dilemma came about as I listened to Grow Up (featuring Vernon Thompson), Year of The Dog and Billboard Sign in my quest, and all three are built quite differently but all three sound almost perfect in a way I associate with those songwriters I mentioned earlier.
Although it’s far removed from my own life, I’m going for the bravery coiled inside the challenging Billboard Sign as my Favourite Song as I’m sure it will live with me for many years to come.
I think this album is quite sublime especially for a first attempt …. Stephanie Sammons is a ‘keeper’ that’s for sure and I look forward to any visits to the UK where there will be an appreciative audience waiting for her.
Released May 3rd 2024
https://stephaniesammons.com/
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https://stephaniesammons.bandcamp.com/album/time-and-evolution
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